Mitchell Johnson Employment Update
Posted by ryan on February 13, 2008
The City Council will hold a special meeting that will likely be closed to the public Thursday afternoon at 2 pm. The hot topic of the meeting will be a motion by Mary Rakestraw to fire City Manager Mitchell Johnson as well as a motion by Robbie Perkins to keep him. Rakestraw said Perkins is acting like a “mayoral candidate and is trying to be all things to all people.”
The N&R reports that Sandra Anderson Groat (Council At-Large) may also make a motion to suspend Johnson for 45 days and give him clear cut goals upon his return.
The vote to fire Johnson look like this right now: Pro (Rakestraw & Wade) Con (Perkins). I have a pretty good idea how the numbers are going to play out but until I know it is a fact I can’t post it on this site.
Should Johnson be fired? Should he be suspended (without pay)?
Stephen said
Suspended without pay until a independent firm (not RMA) is hire to find all the mistakes that Mitch and Legal have made in the past 2-3 years.Then mabe we could compare apples to apples. My concern for Greensboro is losing more upper management. I’m sure Mitch is very good in many areas but something is missing. I’m a contractor. Once, a guy worked for me and he was very very good at his job. The problem was he could do 95% perfect and 5% he would screw up. Not because it was bad work but because he put “his view” on things. Somehow he could not “follow” instructions. I had to fire him, cause with all that talent, he was useless to me.
Alot of experience has left Greensboro in the past 2-3 years. How much should we expect out of 3rd and 4th tier management? Could Mitch’s talents be “harnessed” and still stay useful to Greensboro… I don’t know.
Spag said
There won’t be a majority, so we will all be treated to the status quo while the City Council still begs everyone to “move on”. Their votes will tell a different story about how they really feel about moving on.
Of course, the crisis mode that started last week will linger as other shoes drop but we will again be told to “move on”. It isn’t going to happen. This won’t fade away by the next election, it will only be worse than it was before the last election.
You might as well settle in for the long haul as more revelations, lies and missteps continue to embarrass the City while our leaders do nothing. It will no longer be just a question of Mitch Johnson’s competence, but the City Council’s as well.
My prediction: The truth will come out. It will cost a lot of money. Some people will be very embarrassed by the revelations and Johnson may not be the only person forced to resign.
Billy The Blogging Poet said
Johnson should be locked out of his office.
wayne said
I disagree somewhat with Spag, I agree he probably will not be fired tomorrow. But even his staunchest supporters must realize he is so badly damaged that he cannot do his job. As Sandra Anderson Groat was quoted today ” The smoke is so thick, we almost can’t see through it “. The only way the smoke clears is by removing Mitch. I would think behind the scene they, the Council, are looking for ways out of this.